Suzanne Lenglen: The first diva of tennis

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – Suzanne Lenglen revolutionized women's tennis in the 1920s, with her daring outfits and aggressive style of play.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – "She had that thing that we love in our public figures -- she had a sense of drama," author Larry Engelmann told CNN's Open Court.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – "When she walked out on the court, when she walked down the street after the match, there was a certain passion, drama, gloriousness, a suffering to her that seemed to indicated depths that people wanted to see in a national figure," Engelmann says.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – Lenglen never played at Roland Garros, which was built after she retired in 1927, but the second show court there has since been named after her -- and the statue outside commemorates one of her most iconic action images.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – "When she was young, she studied dance -- she studied ballet and people said she played tennis like a dancer," Engelmann says. "She walked around the court between points on her tip toes. She posed a certain way when she was going to serve."

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – "Suzanne learned tennis from the best male players," Engelmann says. "She was very competitive and she played a much more sophisticated game and she broke the limits. It was a sort of quantum leap into a more aggressive, athletic game."

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – Lenglen is pictured here with fellow French tennis star Rene Lacoste, who went on to launch his own fashion house.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – "She also wore very fashionable clothing on the court -- French designers designed for her," Engelmann says. "There was more transparency to her gowns. She wore short-sleeved blouses when she played. In a period of time when light skin was highly prized -- she took glory in being out in the sun and having a tan."

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – She was one of the world's most famous female athletes in the 1920s, and her success inspired a character in "Le Train Bleu," a production by the Diaghilev Ballet Russe which featured costumes by Coco Chanel.

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Photos:French Open's favorite 'Flapper'

French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – After retiring, Lenglen helped set up a tennis school near Roland Garros. She is pictured here with students in 1937, a year before her death at the age of 39. She had long suffered poor health, and was diagnosed with leukemia not long before she died.

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French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – Lenglen's crown as the queen of women's tennis was taken by American Helen Wills Moody, pictured left with Hollywood actress Joan Crawford.

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French Open's favorite 'Flapper' – Mary Pierce was the last Frenchwoman to hold the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the winner of the Paris grand slam when she triumphed at Roland Garros in 2000.

Story highlights

She was one of the sporting icons of the 1920s and was a darling of French society

The six-time Wimbledon winner died young, aged just 39, after being diagnosed with leukemia

Her career ended a year turning pro at a time when most athletes were nominally amateur

She drank alcohol on court, smoked "furiously" and horrified the establishment with her daring outfits, "unladylike" playing style and highly-publicized affairs.

Tennis has never known anyone quite like Suzanne Lenglen, who transformed the women's game from a gentle housewives' pastime into a sport where the men, begrudgingly, had to take a back seat.

"If normalcy for women meant back to the kitchen, then Suzanne and other ladies of her ilk were heading full tilt in the opposite direction," stated a television report in the 1920s, when Lenglen -- who liked to be known as "the Goddess" -- had become the most famous female athlete on the planet.

When modern tennis stars such as Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams take to the court at Roland Garros during the French Open, there is evidence everywhere around them of the trailblazer who lived fast, played hard -- and died young.

With her short skirts, fur coats, bob haircut and trademark bandana, Lenglen was the darling of French society despite her unconventional looks -- a bold, free woman, an icon of the decade's "Flapper" generation who became a national hero but ultimately succumbed to the pressures created by her success.

"She came to represent a sort of resilient, resurgent, glorious France. She was, in the eyes of the French press, a reborn Joan of Arc. They called her 'the Goddess.'

"After all of the suffering that the French people had gone through in the First World War, suddenly there was the emergence of this girl, this young woman who is a very dominating figure in a very popular sport."

Lenglen won the French national championship six times, but it was her six successes at Wimbledon -- then considered the unofficial world title -- that established her as a superstar.

She lost just one match from 1919 to her final year as an amateur in 1926, dropping only two sets in that period as she overpowered her rivals with an athletic approach founded in her ballet and gymnastics training as a child and a later continued love of dancing.

"She revolutionized women's tennis," Engelmann told CNN's Open Court, "showing that women could be just as tough and just as aggressive and just as capable as men on the tennis court."

Photos:The French Open: Best photos

Photos:The French Open: Best photos

The French Open: Best photos – Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after getting match point against David Ferrer of Spain during the men's singles final match of the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, on Sunday, June 9. Nadal won 6-3, 6-2, 6-3

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The French Open: Best photos – Nadal poses for photos with the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's Rafael Nadal serves to Spain's David Ferrer during the men's singles final match of the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris on Sunday, June 9.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ferrer plays a forehand to Nadal on June 9.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serena Williams of the United States celebrates match point against Maria Sharapova of Russia during their women's singles final match of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday, June 8. Williams won 6-4, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Williams celebrates with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy following her victory on June 8.

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The French Open: Best photos – Williams returns a shot to Sharapova on June 8.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sharapova returns to Williams on June 8.

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The French Open: Best photos – Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pose with the trophy after winning the men's doubles final against Michael Llorda and Nicolas Mahut of France on June 8. The twins won 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4).

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The French Open: Best photos – Michael Llorda consoles Nicolas Mahut after their defeat in the men's doubles final on June 8.

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The French Open: Best photos – Bob, right, and Mike Bryan celebrate the match point.

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The French Open: Best photos – Mike Bryan plays a forehand as his brother, Bob, looks on.

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The French Open: Best photos – Mahut plays a forehand as his partner Llorda stands ready in the men's doubles final match.

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The French Open: Best photos – David Ferrer of Spain celebrates after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at the French Open at Roland Garros on Friday, June 7. Ferrer won 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 . Click through to see more tennis action.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ferrer returns to Tsonga on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Tsonga reaches to hit a return to Ferrer on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ferrer in action against Tsonga on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Tsonga serves to Ferrer on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ferrer plays a forehand to Tsonga on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Serbia's Novak Djokovic during a French Open semifinal match in Paris on June 7. Nadal won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Djokovic returns a shot to Nadal on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Nadal returns to Djokovic on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Djokovic plays a forehand against Nadal on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Nadal, left, and Djokovic change sides during their June 7 match.

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The French Open: Best photos – Umpire Pascal Maria checks a line call with Djokovic on June 7.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serena Williams of the United States reacts after a point against Italy's Sara Errani during their French Open semifinal match on Thursday, June 6. Williams beat Errani 6-0, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sara Errani of Italy plays a forehand against Serena Williams on June 6.

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The French Open: Best photos – Maria Sharapova of Russia serves to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their semifinal match of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, on June 6.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sharapova serves to Azarenka on June 6.

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The French Open: Best photos – Brothers Mike, left, and Bob Bryan of the United States wait for a return from Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil on June 6.

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The French Open: Best photos – A court attendant covers the center court as rain falls over the Roland Garros stadium on June 6. The rain interrupted the semifinal match between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Maria Kirilenko serves to Belarus' Victoria Azarenka during their quarterfinal match at the French Open at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Wednesday, June 5. Azarenka beat Kirilenko 7-6(3), 6-2.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Maria Sharapova exchanges a ball before serving to Serbia's Jelena Jankovic on June 5. Sharapova won 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Tommy Haas of Germany serves during his quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on June 5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Azarenka celebrates after defeating Kirilenko.

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The French Open: Best photos – Rafael Nadal of Spain serves against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland on June 5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Roger Federer of Switzerland face off at Philippe Chatrier court during their quarterfinal match on day 10 of the French Open on Tuesday, June 4, in Paris. Tsonga won 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Tsonga celebrates his victory over Federer on June 4 as he advances to the semifinals.

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The French Open: Best photos – Federer plays a backhand to Tsonga during the match on June 4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates a point during her win over Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia during the women's singles quarter-final match June 4. Williams defeated Kuznetsova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Kuznetsova, right, reacts after losing a point to Williams during the quarterfinal match June 4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Williams serves to Kuznetsova on June 4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Kuznetsova returns a forehand to Williams during the match on June 4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's Tommy Robredo returns to Spain's David Ferrer on June 4. Ferrer defeated Robredo 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ferrer plays a return to Robredo during the quarter final match.

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The French Open: Best photos – Oksana Kalashnikova of Georgia serves in her women's doubles match with Alicja Rosolska of Poland against Kristina Mlandenovic of France and Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan on June 4. Mladenovic and Voskoboeva won 6-1, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sara Errani of Italy hits a return to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during a quarter final match on June 4. Errani defeated Agnieszka 6-4, 7-6 (6).

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The French Open: Best photos – Richard Gasquet of France hits a return to Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka during a match on Monday, June 3.

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The French Open: Best photos – USA's Sloane Stephens plays a forehand during her match against Russia's Maria Sharapova on June 3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Maria Sharapova celebrates her victory over USA's Sloane Stephens at the end of their round of sixteen match on June 3. Sharapova defeated Stephens 6-4, 6-3.

The French Open: Best photos – Sweat runs down the face of Spain's Rafael Nadal during his match against Japan's Kei Nishikori at the French Open on Monday, June 3, in Paris.

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The French Open: Best photos – Nadal serves to Nishikori during their match on June 3. Nadal defeated Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns a forehand in her match against Francesca Schiavone of Italy on June 3. Azarenka defeated Schiavone 6-3, 6-0.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serbia's Novak Djokovic dives for a backhand during his match against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber on June 3.

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The French Open: Best photos – During a round of 16 match on June 3, the United States' Bethanie Mattek-Sands hits a return to Russia's Maria Kirilenko.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sunny skies continue on the ninth day of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 3 in Paris.

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The French Open: Best photos – Djokovic celebrates match point against Kohlschreiber on June 3. Djokovic defeated Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Kirilenko celebrates after beating Mattek-Sands on June 3. Kirilenko defeated Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – After winning a second set against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, France's Richard Gasquet celebrates at the French Open on June 3.

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The French Open: Best photos – The shadow of a plane-shaped camera appears on the court as Djokovic waits for a serve from Kohlschreiber on June 3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Switzerland's Roger Federer serves to Gilles Simon of France during a fourth-round match of the French Open on Sunday, June 2, in Paris. Federer defeated Simon 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sara Errani of Italy celebrates match point in her match against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain on June 2. Errani won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The French Open: Best photos – Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska serves to Serbia's Ana Ivanovic on June 2. Radwanska won 6-2, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serena Williams of the United States serves to Italy's Roberta Vinci during a 4th-round match of the French Open on Sunday, June 2, in Paris. Williams beat Vinci 6-1, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Vinci hits a return to Williams on June 2.

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The French Open: Best photos – The crowd watches Williams and Vinci play on June 2.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's David Ferrer returns to South Africa's Kevin Anderson on June 2. Ferrer won 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

The French Open: Best photos – Germany's Angelique Kerber reacts after a point against Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova on June 2. Kuznetsova defeated Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Kuznetsova hits a backhand during her match against Kerber on June 2.

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The French Open: Best photos – Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov on the seventh day of the French Open on Saturday, June 1. Djokovic won 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Dimitrov plays a forehand to Djokovic.

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The French Open: Best photos – A ball boy holds a ball during a third round match a on June 1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to Italy's Fabio Fognini on June 1. Nadal took the match 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Nikolay Davydenko reaches to hit a return to France's Richard Gasquet on June 1. Gasquet won 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 .

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The French Open: Best photos – Ball boys and ball girls take a break during the tournament on June 1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Samantha Stosur of Australia serves in a Women's Singles match against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia on June 1. Jankovic defeated Stosur 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Fabio Fognini of Italy on June 1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia plays a forehand during the Women's Doubles match with Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu against U.S.'s Varvara Lepchenko of America and China's Saisai Zheng. Lepchenko and Jurak defeated Rybarikova and Begu 3-6 7-6(9) 6-3 .

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Benoit Paire hands over a broken racket during his third round match against Japan's Kei Nishikori on June 1. Nishikori defeated Paire 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Nishikori serves to Paire during the third round match on June 1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Paire plays a forehand to Nishikori.

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The French Open: Best photos – Marina Erakovic of New Zealand celebrates a point in her women's singles match against Sloane Stephens of the United States on June 1. Stephens beat Erakovic 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Maria Sharapova serves to China's Jie Zheng during the third round match June 1. Sharapova won 6-1, 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sloane Stephens of the United States returns a shot to New Zealand's Marina Erakovic on June 1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Francesca Schiavone of Italy plays a backhand against Marion Bartoli of France on June 1. Schiavone won 6-2, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns a forehand in her women's singles match against Alize Cornet of France on June 1. Azarenka defeated Cornet 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Jeremy Chardy stretches to hit the ball against France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during their third-round match at the French Open at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Friday, May 31. Tsonga beat Chardy 6-1, 6-2, 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Casey Dellacqua, right, and Ashleigh Barty of Australia prepare to receive a serve on May 31. The pair lost to Mona Barthel of Germany and Liga Dermeijere of Latvia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a backhand against Julien Benneteau of France on May 31. Federer won 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Angelique Kerber of Germany returns to Varvara Lepchenko of the United States on May 31. Kerber won 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4.

The French Open: Best photos – Young fans watch Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during her match against Varvara Lepchenko of the United States on May 29.

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The French Open: Best photos – Russia's Elena Vesnina keeps track of the ball during her match against Belarus' Victoria Azarenka on May 29. Azarenka beat Vesnina 6-1, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Spain's Feliciano Lopez serves to Portugal's Joao Sousa on May 29. Lopez won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Croatia's Marin Cilic hits a backhand shot to Australia's Nick Kyrgios on May 29. Cilic won 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

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The French Open: Best photos – Belarus' Victoria Azarenka serves to Russia's Elena Vesnina on May 29.

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The French Open: Best photos – Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand against David Goffin of Belgium during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Tuesday, May 28. Djokovic defeated Goffin 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Jack Sock of the United States celebrates beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 on May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova hits a forehand shot to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko during the first round match on May 28. Cibulkova won 6-1, 6-4.

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The French Open: Best photos – Kristina Mladenovic of France celebrates a point in her women's singles match against Lauren Davis of the United States on May 28. Mladenovic won 6-0, 7-5.

The French Open: Best photos – Belgium's David Goffin hits a forehand to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during a first round match of the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris on Tuesday, May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Marion Bartoli warms up during her match against Belarus' Olga Govortsova on May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – Djokovic serves to Goffin during their first round match on May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Alize Cornet returns to Portugal's Maria Joao Koehler during their first round match on May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – Rain causes delays on the third day of the French Open in Paris, on May 28, as a covering tries to keep the Philippe Chatrier central court at Roland Garros stadium dry.

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The French Open: Best photos – Employees remove water from a tarpaulin covering the Philippe Chatrier central court on May 28.

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Gael Monfils stretches for a shot against Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych during the first round of the French Open on Monday, May 27, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Monfils defeated Berdych 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – Rafael Nadal of Spain and Daniel Brands of Germany face off in the first round singles match on May 27. Nadal defeated Brands 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – After losing the first set to Brands, Nadal went on to win the match and move on to the second round.

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The French Open: Best photos – Richard Gasquet of France serves to Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine during day two of the French Open on May 27. Gasquet won the match 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

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The French Open: Best photos – Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky takes a picture with his smartphone on May 27 of a mark on the clay. Stakhovsky believed the shot to be in, but the chair umpire disagreed.

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The French Open: Best photos – Sloane Stephens, of the U.S., returns a shot to Italy's Karin Knapp during the women's singles match May 27. Stephens won 6-2, 7-5.

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The French Open: Best photos – France's Julien Benneteau argues with a referee about a line call during his first round match against Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis on May 27. Benneteau defeated Berankis 7-6(5), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5).

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Photos:The French Open: Best photos

The French Open: Best photos – Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of Czech Republic covers her face during a break in the match against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia on May 27. Strycova lost to Jovanovski 6-3, 6-2.

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Photos:The French Open: Best photos

The French Open: Best photos – Angelique Kerber of Germany plays a backhand against Mona Barthel of Germany during day two of the French Open on May 27. Kerber won the match 7-6(6), 6-2.

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Photos:The French Open: Best photos

The French Open: Best photos – Nick Kyrgios of Australia serves to Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic on May 27. Kyrgios advances by winning 7-6(4), 7-6(8), 7-6(11).

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When Lenglen became the first non-English-speaking women's champion at Wimbledon in 1919, the 20-year-old shocked the home crowd by serving overhead like the men -- not underhand like her final opponent, seven-time winner Dorothea Douglass Chambers.

Lenglen, playing on grass for the first time, saved two match points before triumphing 10-8 4-6 9-7 -- a landmark result that ushered in a period of dominance where she would expect to lose just a few games during entire tournaments.

Up until 1922, the defending champion at Wimbledon played only the final -- but Lenglen changed that as she decided to take her place in the draw, revolutionizing the women's format.

"Her opponents were afraid of her because she was like a lion on the court, it was not usual for a woman to hit the ball so hard," says Patrick Clastres, a sports historian at Sorbonne University in Paris.

"She was very different from the other ladies, she was very free."

Lenglen's intense desire to win came from her father Charles, who -- having retired after selling his bus franchise -- meticulously shaped her career from a young age.

"She was a very brilliant child playing tennis but as a woman she had problems," Clastres told CNN.

"I think she was depressed when she lost games. It was very hard for her to live with this sort of pressure from her father -- her family had lost a boy when she was young, and she was the boy of her father."

Charles made his young daughter practice with male players, convinced that her female peers were not good enough.

"He solicited the best foreign and French male tennis players to teach her and play with her," Engelmann says.

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"Aggressive, 'in your face' tennis, combined with hours and hours of practice -- and she did things that people just didn't expect of a young girl or of a woman, and it worked.

"When she got a bad line call, she threw a racquet into the net. People had not seen something like this before. There was always a drama. It was not only sports and tennis, it was a theater production."

Lenglen played the role of a diva to the hilt -- she was part of a movement of liberated women known as "Flappers" who flouted societal and sexual norms, as seen in the recent Hollywood film adaptation of the "The Great Gatsby."

Engelmann says one of the conditions she had for playing in the U.S. in 1921 was that New York's Forest Hills tennis club provide her with several cases of champagne despite liquor being illegal due to prohibition laws at the time.

"She demanded playing at a certain time, not playing in the morning -- she never played before noon because she had to sleep until noon, so she had a love/hate relationship with the clubs in England," Engelmann says.

"She made demands and I think people objected to that. With her talent came power, and that was a challenge to the powers that be in the tennis world at that time."

Lenglen was known to drink cognac during matches -- Clastres says this was to calm her nerves in front of her demanding courtside parents, but it was away from her family that she suffered her most humiliating playing moment.

When Lenglen traveled to the U.S. in 1921 for what was supposed to be a series of exhibition matches, she went without her father -- and arrived in New York in poor health after a testing sea voyage without having trained, instead choosing to practice her dancing on board.

Given just one day to rest after arriving, she was told she had been entered in the U.S. national championships -- and then had to take on titleholder Molla Mallory after her planned opponent withdrew.

Lenglen, later diagnosed with whooping cough, lost the first set and then pulled out of the match -- resulting in widespread criticism from the American media, which had been expecting the type of all-action performance for which she had been renowned.

"Her movement, it comes across as something of a fairy," Engelmann says. "She walks like a ballerina on her toes. She moves so lightly. Just grace. Pure grace.

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"And people would point out, she was not beautiful until she started moving around the court -- and then you tended to forget her lack of beauty. Have you ever seen an ugly ballerina? I don't think so, and that may be how this worked for Suzanne."

Lenglen's amateur career came to an end in 1926 after what was dubbed "the Match of the Century" against Helen Wills, a then 20-year-old American who would go on to win 19 grand slam singles titles as she took over the mantle of the Frenchwoman.

Wills traveled to the south of France for a clash that was built up by the frenzied press, as both players studiously avoided each other in preceding tournaments.

"It was largely constructed by the media," Clastres says. "During weeks and months they made the promotion of the match in Cannes and a lot of people were there, all the kings and the queens.

"It was a huge exhibition with probably 7,000 people around the court of a hotel. It was crazy."

Lenglen finally saw off her young rival, but the experience -- she defied her father's wishes by taking on Wills -- left her distraught and shattered, according to reports at the time.

"It was a very difficult match for her and probably she was not able to win once more," Clastres says. "And she didn't want to lose, I think, to Helen Wills."

Lenglen responded by turning professional later that year after being offered $50,000 by an American promoter -- a move which prompted Wimbledon to revoke her honorary membership.

It was a double blow for Lenglen, who had been crucified in the British press after a scheduling mixup at that year's tournament which meant Britain's Queen Mary had to watch an empty court for half an hour after turning up to see the defending champion. Mortified by such a faux-pas, the player pulled out.

But Lenglen hit back publicly at her detractors, criticizing the hypocrisy of so-called amateur sport.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

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An elite group struck down by mono – Roger Federer played at the Australian Open in 2008 not knowing he had mono. At the height of his powers, he surprisingly needed 4.5 hours to beat Janko Tipsarevic in the third round.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Federer advanced to the semifinals in Melbourne in 2008 but put in a sluggish performance in the last four, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He later revealed he had the illness.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Mario Ancic, a former top-10 player, was suffering from a severe case of mono during a Davis Cup series in 2007. He endured a lengthy layoff before returning to the tour but was never the same. He retired in 2011.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Robin Soderling handed Rafael Nadal his only loss at the French Open in 2009. But Soderling hasn't played since the summer of 2011. Now a father, he says he has come to terms with the possibility of never playing again.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Andy Roddick, who was one of tennis' fittest players, couldn't understand why he was feeling fatigued in the summer of 2010. He played through the pain and was upset at Wimbledon.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Christina McHale, one of US tennis' brightest prospects, didn't play the end of the 2012 season. Symptoms that included sinus issues and a stomach illness stemmed from mono.

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Photos:Some big names struck down by mono

An elite group struck down by mono – Heather Watson thought she was suffering from burnout in the spring. But it turned out to be mono. The promising British player has yet to return to the circuit, but hopes to play at the French Open.

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Photos:Serena Williams retains Madrid title

Photos:Serena Williams retains Madrid title

Serena Williams retains Madrid title – Top-ranked Serena Williams celebrates after defending her title in Madrid, beating world No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final.

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Photos:Serena Williams retains Madrid title

Serena Williams retains Madrid title – Williams has now beaten the Russian in their last 12 meetings, winning this match 6-1 6-4.

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Photos:Serena Williams retains Madrid title

Serena Williams retains Madrid title – Sharapova had the chance to return to the top of the rankings but could not match Williams' power despite leading 3-1 in the second set.

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Photos:Serena Williams retains Madrid title

Serena Williams retains Madrid title – In the men's tournament in Madrid, Rafael Nadal delighted his home fans by winning the Spanish tournament for the third time, beating Swiss 15th seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the final.

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"To me it is an escape from bondage and slavery. No-one can order me about any longer to play tournaments for the benefit of club owners," she said in an interview with the Associated Press.

"I got great fun out of tennis for a few years after the war, but lately it had become too exacting. I have done my bit to build up the tennis of France and of the world. It's about time tennis did something for me."

Although players were amateur in name, most received payments through other means.

"She was probably paid for this match, like others," Clastres said of the Lenglen's clash with Wills.

"Tennis was the key but every player was professional. She was paid to write about tennis for the newspapers and also to play with very famous champions."

Lenglen lasted just a year in the States, as ill health after an exhausting tour packed with high-society engagements forced her to take an extended break from playing.

She returned home, and chose to retire at the age of 27, and was reduced to working in a fashion house as her main source of income dried up.

In 1933, Lenglen helped set up a tennis school located next door to the new Roland Garros, built in 1928.

She never played there, but the present-day French Open venue's second show court is now named after her and features a statue in her honor among other exhibits at the museum.

Paris also has a Suzanne Langlen Metro station, plus a sporting center in her name, while many other references to her can be found in the city where she was born and buried.

Lenglen's health deteriorated and she was diagnosed with leukemia. She died from pernicious anemia not long after having a blood transfusion, aged just 39.

By then, Engelmann says, she had gone blind as her body "just gave out."

Although she was not worried about being a role model during her playing days, Clastres believes Lenglen would have been proud of her legacy.

"When she died it was like a national drama," he says, sitting in the stands of the court that bears her name. "I think she would be very proud to have her name all around Roland Garros, even if she never played here.

"She was very proud of being a free woman -- if not really being free because she was being represented as a female ballerina. She wanted to be free but the media constructed a figure of feminine character with a lot of ideas from the past."